Am I dreaming?
by rei-ko-naissance
Summary: A little plot bunny that's been running around all over my mind. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Third Fic

Just something that was running around in my brain for a very long time. Its a bit difficult to describe.

Would appreciate reviews as based on them I'll continue adding more chapters. So please, review.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters used in this fic. All rights belong to their respective owners. However, if I ever get the chance, I would love to get the ownership.

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Chapter - 1

I rolled over for the umpteenth time trying to get comfortable. It was my first time with a futon, and so far I had only found reasons to hate it. How was one supposed to get comfortable in a futon, with a literally brick for a pillow? I squirmed again, but stopped as I felt the yukata I wore ride higher up my thigh.

_Sigh_

"This isn't working" I murmured, as I sat up.

I got up and made my way to the window, the wooden boards underneath creaking moon outside was a lot fuller than the last time I saw it. A slight breeze was blowing, rich with the scent of the flowers that bloomed in the garden. Tonight, for some strange reason, the fragrance was overbearing, almost as strong as perfume. But along with that, there was another scent, one of a different genre so to speak. It was strong and musky and made a soft tingle run down my spine. I didn't know how or when, but somehow I had ended up in the most unimaginable place ever.

Not very long ago, or that I hoped, I was enjoying a pleasant trip to a land I had longed to visit. It had only been my second day, and I had decided to venture out on my own in hopes of having a rather peaceful outing, without the excited squeals and impatient tugs of my friend who had accompanied me. Now I loved being in her company, but not when I was in my 'observation mode', or so she had termed it, a mode where I would stand in front of a structure, or at times someone, and basically drink in all the details, whether tiny or big.

The sky had gotten pretty dark when I spotted the tell-tale steps to a shrine. After hesitating for a bit, I began climbing, hoping I would sustain till the last. Once on top, I could only make out the outline of the structures, the moon offering very little light. After walking around a bit, I realized that the shrine was abandoned, as I could hear no sign of activity anywhere.

I turned back to leave when I noticed something move in my hindsight. I blinked and looked around, trying to spot it again, instincts screaming at me to leave there and then. But something held me back, curiosity perhaps, but I walked on further, eyes opened fully to spot any sign of movement. I heard a shifting noise and my head shot up to investigate the source. Up ahead I could make out a hazy, slate-grey form moving, pacing, to and fro, to and fro.

With every fiber in my being screaming at me for my stupidity, I made my way towards it, my pace surprisingly steady, and my eyes determined and unwavering.

As I got closer, I realized what I was seeing. It was a cat, to put it crudely, because I didn't know what else to call it. It was as tall as me, and as it noticed my presence, or so I assumed, it trained its glowing-yellow eyes at me. I stopped moving, breath forgotten as my mouth clamped shut. I watched with wide eyes as it got nearer and nearer until its snout was a mere inch away. And then it closed its eyes, and without thinking I closed mine too.

The next thing I know, I was falling, the wind ringing in my ears. I would have screamed if I hadn't been so shocked. One moment I was on solid ground, and the next I was falling through the sky, with nothing to break my fall. I spread out my arms and legs in a feeble attempt to slow my decent, and waited for the crushing, agonizing moment when I'd finally meet the ground and most probably my end.

When I opened my eyes I was not falling anymore.

Somehow, while I was hurtling downwards, my senses had failed me and I had lost consciousness.

I wasn't dead, yet, and that was the only good thing that had happened as I realized just how much things had changed.

When I woke up, I was in a room, one that was so traditional; it seemed something out of the stories of medieval Japan, typical wooden interior, typical screen doors and other typical things. Someone had even taken the liberty to change my clothes for I was wearing a yukata.

I tried standing up and to my surprise, I rose to my feet faster than what I was used to. Flexing my hands, I headed towards the screen door. I opened it to find myself facing a beautiful garden, full of various kinds of flowers, which in the moon light shone with an almost unearthly gleam. Stepping out of the room I breathed in the fresh air, taking in all these new scents that had eluded me before. Something wasn't right. I felt too good, my senses to clear, too vivid. The moon wasn't at its fullest, but I could see everything to its last detail, the wind wasn't strong still I could smell the farthest flower. Suddenly I heard a tap, a slight creak, which repeated on a set interval; someone was walking, and walking towards me as a different scent filled the air. Eyes straining to see who it was, even with my heightened vision, I took a step forward.

It was then that I felt it, for the first time, a powerful aura that seemed like it would crush my soul if I should let it. I could not tell what or where it came from, for it was still far away, but I could still feel it.

My curiosity took the best of me as I padded on, towards the source. A couple of steps later, the footfalls became more prominent, the aura more powerful than before. It seemed just a corner away.

As I neared the turn, I felt the footsteps stop. Maybe they had heard me, maybe I wasn't supposed to see them? I kept on edging until I was at the corner, another step and I'd be face to face with the being on the other side.

But before I could take that step, I heard a voice. It was a deep, steady voice that belonged to a man,

"You are awake."

It was neither a statement, nor was it a question. Just a simple line, but it confused me to no extent. Why would someone say something so obvious? Or maybe I was just expecting different things. But what happened next was indeed unexpected.

"I couldn't sleep." said another voice, which definitely belonged to a woman. She smelled of flowers, though I couldn't understand why I would think that, but she definitely smelled of flowers, and something else, something that felt like a terrible sickness. I flattened myself against the wall as I lost the battle to my curiosity once more.

"You should sleep" said the man.

"The moonlight is so soothing today, it reminds me of…" but she couldn't continue as her voice dissolved into a fit of coughs.

_So she **is **sick. _

I heard the man walk in, and slide the screen door shut. Inside I heard the rustle of fabric, along with several agonizing coughs. The woman was really ill, I could tell that. And if she…

_Wait, why do I know that? _

I could suddenly smell and hear and see better, but why? What had changed so much? Why did I feel like I was stuck in 16th century Japan? What on earth was happening?

I ran into the garden and kept running, without reason, without aim. The grass felt unreal under my bare feet, and everything seemed to be bathed in a strange silver light. There was a pond nearby, one of the many features atypical to a house of this kind. The water was still, the image of the moon sitting at its center. It was so still it could have been a rather large mirror if not for the little ripples made by a stray petal. Inching closer, I bent down, and looked into it.

What I saw was not my reflection at all, but instead of a girl, that shared my face, but the girl had a pair of cat-like ears, at either side of her head. My hand involuntarily reached up to feel them, as I watched my reflection make an incredulous face, eyes going wider. My eyes had lost their chocolate-brown color, and now resembled the blazing eyes of the cat I had seen at the shrine. I shifted the hair covering my forehead, and noticed a diamond shaped pattern, right at the center. It had black edges which slowly merged into a slate-grey center, just like the mark that the cat had. I finally knew why my senses had gotten stronger, I wasn't human anymore. And by the looks of it, neither was I completely yokai.

And I knew yokai; in fact several people back home knew yokai, if not through historical and traditional texts, then through popular media. In fact this entire set up reminded me of one story in particular, and I hoped I was anything but right.

But all most hopes drained the moment I felt the earlier presence head towards me. I didn't move from my spot, I wanted to make sure if my hunch was correct or not.

And there, in the distance I saw him come towards me, the man from earlier, his steady gaze unwavering, and his gait consistent, his silver hair blowing slightly,his mokomoko trailing behind, befitting the description I knew too well.

Lord Sesshomaru was exactly like is description, if not more. In person, he was infinitely more striking, his silver hair a billion times more dazzling, and his eyes a more brilliant shade of emotionless and cold.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, those perfect lips speaking out the words in a perfect tone, with the perfect amount of irritation laced within the words. And he had every right to be irritated, for it was so in character. Yes, I was literally squealing inside. But I didn't show that, oh no, as a hanyo that I was now, I had to act proper.

"And how does my business concern you in any way?" I asked, head tilting to one side, smirking.

"Very well, cat, do what you want. But make sure you do not ruin anything here, or harm the flowers in any way, or I assure you that smirk of yours will be wiped away in the most painful way you can ever imagine." he said, as he gave a long, hard glare, turned around as gracefully as ever, and left.

My insides were practically celebrating. I had ended up in a world that I daresay loved, one that I had read about so many times, in so many ways. Of course, there were more pressing matters that I needed to think about, so many questions that needed answering. But chief of them all was a question I had asked ever since I woke up.

_Am I dreaming?_

After spending a good while in the garden I made my way back to the room I had woken up in, and tried to sleep, but several thousands of questions flooded my brain like a tsunami. How did I end up here? Why did I end up here? Who was that cat? Why was I a hanyo? Why was I in Lord Sesshomaru's house? Who was that woman?

_How did I end up inside a fictional story? _

Or was it really fiction. Surely Rumiko Takahashi had created this world out of her imagination; surely Japan did not witness this piece of 'history'. Surely, surely Kagome Higurashi wasn't a real person. But if she were, oh the possibilities of what could be and couldn't be kept bubbling inside me until I couldn't bear it any longer and went out of the room. The almost non-existent breeze soothed my nerves like some magic potion. Once my head was calm enough I sat on down on the porch, one leg dangling, toes brushing the grass.

The garden was beautiful, and was definitely cherished as I recalled the warning from before. If it were me, I'd have given up on maintaining a garden like this. Hard work of this kind, or any kind, was not my forte. I shifted my place until my back rested against the wooden column that helped support the roof of the structure. Oh how my colleagues would be jealous when I implemented parts of it into my design; surely learning about such structures in their authentic form was better than learning about them from their restored forms. That is, if I ever make it back.

_Make it back, back to the future. _

I immediately thought of the one person that I knew had had firsthand experience with a situation like this, albeit she hadn't turned into a hanyo. My only worry was if she were still there, and if there was any way to meet her.

I couldn't just walk up to Sesshomaru and ask him to meet his half-brother's wife, surely I couldn't do that. Or had her time not come yet? Which part had I ended up in? Surely the shikon no tama phase was over? Or had it not even begun? In which case I need to find them all the more and…

The more I thought the more questions popped up, so much so that I didn't even realize that the moon had almost gone beyond the horizon and the sun had peeked in. As twilight set in, I noticed a change in the wind as a new scent made itself known. Surely, it couldn't be…

"Lord Sesshomaru, I have news, my lord!" I heard an extremely unbearable and squeaky voice speak up from deep within the house, most probably near the master's chambers. So Jaken was still around. I got up, in hopes of getting to know what news he was squabbling about when, much to my astonishment, an unknown instinct kicked in and I took several steps back, just in time to avoid colliding into someone. It was a woman, or to be exact the same woman from before. She looked terribly pale and thin, dark lines forming under her eyes. Yet, despite that she was giving me a bright, almost painfully cheerful smile.

"Lord Sesshomaru did say you were awake. I apologize for not greeting you earlier" she said, her tone gentle, caring.

"Uhh… No it's alright." I said lamely, my brain having lost the capacity to think clearly. A cat needed sleep after all, but not before figuring out who she was.

"I'm certain you have not had anything to eat since your arrival. If you would follow me, there should be breakfast soon." she said, her long raven hair fluttering behind her as she led the way. She took me to one of the halls I had crossed during my venture last night. I looked around the almost bare room, trying to figure out just where we were supposed to sit, when she spoke again.

"I must persuade you to shed your night-clothes. I noticed you were not carrying any extra clothes with you, so I offer you these here. I am sure they would fit you well." she said, handing me robes that frankly I knew very little about. I tore my gaze from the clothes and trained it back at her, who seemed to be looking at me expectantly.

_Say thank you, you idiot._

"Thank you very much for your generosity." I said, wanting to strangle myself for not sounding more genuine. But then again, there was no way I could have sounded genuine. I watched her leave the room, shutting the door behind her as gracefully as I had ever seen. Could this woman be Rin? She appeared to be in her 30s. If she was truly Rin, then just how old would Kagome be by now? And Rin knew of Kagome, and where she had come from. Could Rin have realized where I was from? Surely my clothes would have been a tell-tale.

_If I did have clothes on, that is._

I waved that thought aside, shivering at the thought of being found naked. Not wanting to make the woman wait any longer, I started to investigate the clothes.

There were several articles of clothing, including a blue robe with white floral details, an off-white robe, and an assortment of sashes. Now I knew what they all were a part of; anyone knew they were what made up a kimono, but the problem was I had never worn one before.

A few minutes later, I twirled around trying to look at myself to check if I had worn it correctly. I almost ripped the clothes apart in frustration when the woman came to my rescue, a little smile on her lips as if she knew this was going to happen. As she helped me with the kimono, I carefully noted what she did.

"What is your name?" I heard her ask, as she fixed the obi.

_A name, well that's a tough one._

It would have been impossible to tell her my real name, so I had to think up of an alias real quick, and the only thing that came to my mind, was what I blurted out, "Rei"

"Rei. What a pretty name that is." she said, smiling at me as she adjusted the sleeves and the inner robe, "My name is Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you Rei."

_Rin! So she **is** Rin! _

I barely kept the excitement out of my voice as I returned her greeting, but what she said next did nothing to help me contain it.

"I know where you're from, Rei. I have heard about the world that I believe you come from. Lord Sesshomaru and I found you near our house, and I asked…" she didn't answer, her actions becoming more fidgety. If they had found me, then I was already the ground, and if that was the case then I knew just what Rin was hesitating to tell me.

_And so I am one life short. Purrfect. _

I put on a mask of oblivion and let her continue, "You were dressed in clothes so very different from those worn by the people here that I knew at once you were not from this world. Rei, if I can, I will introduce you to someone whom you might find very helpful." she said, giving one last tug to the obi and signaling me to follow her.

This time we ended up in a room with small tables and the smell of food all around, but there were only two tables. Breakfast was served by the almost non-existent servants, and perhaps that was their instruction. Halfway through, I heard Rin comment that I must have been pretty hungry, for I had nearly finished my share while she had just begun. I would have blamed it on my increased appetite when she continued on to say that I had slept through 5 days without any food or water.

_5 days? Just like that?_

Rin took me out into the garden once breakfast was over. She mentioned the various flowers that grew, and their qualities, some of which I retained, and some of which I didn't. But our little session was cut short as she broke into a fit of coughs. Before I could do anything, I was pushed aside by a very strong hand and within seconds Rin was inside, in his care. I would have been angry had I not known of Rin's ailment. If this had been my era, she perhaps could have been saved, but the stage she was in, there was not much that could be done, even back home.

I headed inside, and let out a sigh.

"I know you're there," I began, "if you come out, you'll make things a lot simpler." I said, to seemingly no one in particular. But a few seconds later, I heard little footsteps come towards me, accompanied by the occasional thump of a staff.

"I see you are awake! It's high time you thank Lord Sesshomaru for his benevolence and be gone!" said Jaken, and like Sesshomaru, he kept up with his description too; small, ugly and irritating with a loosely hinged mouth. Jaken continued his rant until he finally sensed his master's presence, upon which he shut up immediately. Confused, as I had expected him to try to instigate further, I looked up at the man who now stood in the hallway, his height well in perspective. Was he here to say something? Was he going to start blaming me for Rin's health?

_I didn't do nothing!_

"If I give you a task, what are the chances of you messing it up, cat?" he said, his eyes as cold as ever.

"Well, that depends on the nature of the task, dog." I said wincing a little as his glare intensified.

'I need to be here and take care of Rin, and I need Jaken to accompany me. So, I have no choice but to entrust you with this task' is what he should have said, but instead he stepped forward and handed me a handkerchief.

"Find this woman and bring her to me. Do it as quickly as possible"

I would have argued if I wasn't aware of Rin's condition, and without a word I set out to find who I assumed was Kagome.

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**A/N: **Well, that's the first chapter. Its just my third fic and I am absolutely not satisfied with the way I wrote it. I want it to sound natural, but at the same time I don't. I wanted this to be in first person, but I don't know if its a good choice or not.

Please review, for based on it I'll decide to publish the other chapters.

And yeah, thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Ja! Chapter 2 desu!

Here it is! The second chapter! Please review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters used in this fic. All rights belong to their respective owners. However, if I ever get the chance, I would love to get the ownership.

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Chapter - 2

I set out, only to return moments later. I looked at the tall lord, trying to figure out how to phrase what I was going to say.

"I need my clothes, the ones I was wearing from before," I said, but then continued before anyone could say anything, "Please, I cannot go without them."

Within a few minutes I was in a room, with my clothes. Everything was there, neatly folded, even my shoes were there. I couldn't wear these clothes and run around the place, even if Kagome had. But it would be impossible for me to travel around in a kimono; these things were practically impossible to move in.

So I improvised. I took off the outer robe, kept the inner robe on, which ended a little below my hip. Beneath that I wore the black pants I was wearing that ended a few inches below my knee; I looked like a kung fu warrior. I eyed the blue kimono that lay on the floor, and a second later put it on and tied one of the sashes at the waist. Life would have been much easier if I had gotten my hands on a hakama but for now this would have to do. I wrapped the bigger sash around me, making sure everything stayed intact and tied it in the most complicated way I could think of. All in all, I looked like I was wearing a large, blue robe that parted in the front to show the off-white robes underneath it, tied with deep blue and violet sashes.

Satisfied with my appearance, I went back to where I had left both of them, and found that they hadn't moved an inch. I hurried my way to the exit, put on the shoes over the tabi which Rin had given me, and left.

Once outside the house premises, I was starting to wonder just how I was supposed to find Kagome, if this was her of course. I wasn't a dog, even though my sense of smell had improved, it was nowhere near a dog's. But at the back of my mind, there was a voice pointing out to a certain direction.

_Well, it's not like I know the correct way anyway, might as well start off somewhere._

But I had to find Kagome, or whoever this handkerchief belonged to, because I knew of Rin's condition, and because Sesshomaru did scare me a little. A daiyokai, after all, wasn't someone you trifled around with.

Soon I was making my way through a forest. If I hadn't had at least a rough idea of where I was headed, I would have surely gotten lost. The trees were tall and close together, preventing a clear view of the sky. My senses told me that the forest was full off beings, but none that seemed too close by. Human or yokai, I couldn't tell yet. Truthfully speaking, I hadn't quite gotten adjusted to the new senses I had acquired so I decided to test them out, to discover my abilities.

Planting my feet firmly on the ground I pushed hard a second later, attempting to jump. What happened next was completely unaccounted for as I barely dodged a branch and instead, reflexes taking the better of me, I found myself sitting on it. Looking down I almost blanched; I had a fear of heights ever since I was a kid. I got up slowly; clutching the trunk like my life depended on it.

_Help me someone, I must be at least 20 feet off the ground._

And thus I found out I could jump high, very high. But that was just the beginning of my discovery. By the time I reached the edge of the forest, I had learned that not only could I jump, but if I triggered a certain muscle that was until now unknown to me, razor-sharp claws came out the tips of my fingers, just like a feline's paws. My hearing had improved a lot, I could hear a butterfly's wings, and so had my eyesight as I could spot a village that was at the edge of the horizon. Also, my body was much more agile and my reflexes a lot faster than before.

_So, did I land on my feet when I fell?_

But I had no time to think. Somewhere in my mind a dozen bells rang as I sensed a bunch of yokai, I assumed they were yokai since their aura seemed to be flying, headed straight for me. I sped off as fast as I could in the direction of Kagome's aura, getting nearer and nearer to the village.

I ran as fast as I could, but I could still feel the yokai behind me, though a lot farther away than before. By now I was practically a few meters away from the village, but entering it while I had a bunch of yokai at my back was probably not the best idea so I took a detour towards what I assumed was a water source. A little while later my hunch was confirmed as I came to stop at the banks or a small river, its water flowing by merrily. Something caught my eye, and I jumped in, resurfacing seconds later with a still-moving fish in my hand. I would have had time to eat it had I not sensed a bundle of energy coming right at me. I pushed hard, as hard as I could, propelling my body into the air as the spot below me exploded into dozens of droplets of water. My eyes locked on the source as I let go of the fish.

There in front of my, dressed completely in red, swinging his giant sword into another attack, his silver hair bellowing behind him was the man I never ever dreamt to meet in reality, if you'd call this that. But I had no time to indulge my feelings as I barely avoided another attack. Somewhere back there the yokai were still following me.

_Oh no, we're in trouble._

So I was. I had a hoard of yokai at my back and an angry hanyo right in front. I dodged his moves purely relying on my super-efficient instincts, but it wasn't going to last long once the yokai caught up. Jumping off a rock which burst into hundreds of pieces the next second, I shouted with all my might.

"Inuyasha! Please, you must listen to me!" I said, my hands in the hair, praying this tactic would work. I saw his ears twitch and his stance locked in the middle of performing yet another kaze no kizu.

"Who the hell are you, cat? What are you doing here? Why do you have Kagome's scent on you?" he asked, landing none-too-gently on a nearby rock. Glad that he was open to conversation, I carried on.

"Well, that can wait. There is a bunch of yokai right behind me and they don't seem very happy. In fact-" I jumped out-of-the-way as the attack missed me by a few inches, "HEY! WHAT THE HELL!"

"How the hell do I know they're not with you?" he said, raising his sword again. My temper was rising, and so was my anxiety. The yokai would bust in here any moment, and then things would get a lot worse. I launched off in his direction, and much to my surprise, easily stopped him from casting another blow. With my claws slightly grazing his neck, I had him pretty much locked in a position where he couldn't move.

Overcoming my utter shock, I said, "You listen to me, you stupid dog. I have nothing to do with those yokai back there. I don't even know why they are following me. So if you want your precious village to survive you will stop them. That is all." I said, and letting go of him jumped several feet in the air and landed a safe distance away from him, and the yokai that had finally showed up.

They were hideous, that was the first thing that came to my mind. There were several of them together, like I had seen in illustrations, swirling around one another. They resembled nothing earthly, though perhaps I needed to revise that statement. I watched as Inuyasha launched off directly at them, and in a few seconds they were all gone.

I knew how powerful he was, but to witness it was something else entirely, something indescribably aweing. I watched as he landed back on the ground and then faced me, his scowl getting deeper.

_Time to run._

And run I did, leaping off now and then to gain more distance between us. It was funny as it was a cat and dog chase, literally. Kagome's aura got nearer and nearer, and so did Inuyasha's attacks. Soon I spotted the house from which it was emanating. I sighed in relief that I had found Kagome, but a series of strange events happened.

First, a woman walked out wearing miko robes and she had an arrow aimed at me. As she released the arrow I dodged and watched it whir past to meet Inuyasha's attack, also aimed at me. When the two clashed, the shockwave was enough to blow me away to l and on the ground several feet below, though I landed on my feet. Then a third-party aimed a blow at me, which I parried in the last second, coming face to face with someone I had never seen or heard of before, but who gave off an aura that was similar to Kagome's as well as Inuyasha's. But I had no time to ponder on this discovery for now the entire family was keen on eliminating me. How was I ever going to relay the message to Kagome? And I couldn't take up too much time because Rin was suffering back there. A barely dodged arrow, several jagged diamond shards and an array of claw attack later I shouted as hard I could, "_PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP!"_

In _English_

The effect was almost amusing as I watched Kagome's eyes grow wide with shock, then she sit-boy-ed Inuyasha and stopped who I suspected was her son by catching hold of his ear. But still, she had an arrow ready to fire, as she eyed me suspiciously. Taking that as a signal to continue I went on, "_Kagome, I mean no harm. I was sent to fetch you, by Lord Sesshomaru." _I explained, "_Oh and I need to have a few words with you but that can wait until you tend to Rin. Shall we?" _I said, extended my hand towards her.

"_Who are you? Where you come from?" _she asked, amusing me further as she used her heavily accented English.

"I'll explain later. Now, can we go? Rin is really sick." I said, retrieving my hand and putting them inside the kimono sleeves. I turned to look at the two people behind. Inuyasha had gotten to his feet and was glowering at me, which didn't change even though Kagome explained the situation to him. She got on his back and he leapt off towards Sesshomaru's house. I had seen this scene so many times, yet never so vividly, never in reality. I still couldn't believe where I was, that minutes ago tessaiga's attacks would have killed me, that Kagome's sacred arrow would've have pierced my heart. Lost in thought I almost forgot about the third presence that was seemingly standing behind me.

"Who are you?" I heard him speak up, his voice just like a twelve-year-old child's.

I turned around and spotted a boy about as tall as Rin had been at the age of eleven. His hair was a strange combination of black and silver that made it appear neither grey, nor silver. He had a pair of dog ears on the top of his head, just like his father. However, his eyes were the shade of his mother, Kagome's eyes, with the same piercing look that she held when she was in her battle mode. Also it seemed that the boy had inherited his father's protective nature, or perhaps that was a standard personality trait of the inu yokai. I took a step towards the boy and answered his question.

"Well who are you?" I said, head cocking to one side. I held back a smile as I watched his glare intensify.

"I am…"

I would have stayed there and listened, believe me I wanted nothing else than to know the name of Kagome and Inuyasha's son, but the situation demanded otherwise. Somewhere while I was talking to the boy, the warning bells started ringing all over again and just like before I moved out-of-the-way just seconds before a large white thing flew straight through where I had been standing. Had I not moved away, it would have been a rather painful ordeal.

I saw the boy below back away, yet his expression showed no fear. Instead he looked on expectantly as the white thing suddenly made its way back, and as I followed its path, saw a woman pluck it out neatly from the air.

_Hiraikotsu, you exist. _

But the woman was not Sango, I could tell because she appeared to be in her 20s, and also because her catsuit was of a different color. Then something struck my mind and I began searching around, trying to use my senses as best as I could. Soon I spotted a yoki that was different from Inuyasha or Sesshomaru's but I was sure it was who I was looking for. I made my way towards it as yet another Hiraikotsu attack was aimed at me.

Soon, with a roar, a two-tail leapt into the sky, bright orange flames on its heels. Kirara was just like her description too, fierce and agile, making her way effortlessly through the air. I looked on motionless as she got nearer and nearer. My senses picked up just as she aimed a fierce claw at me. I rolled out from under her and jumped off the other direction. But something had changed, because this time she came at me I could sense something was off in her attacks; they were not as fierce as I would have imagined them to be. Somewhere below I heard a woman call out her name, and spotted another woman, just like the one before, but with a differently colored catsuit.

_The twins._

But I had no time to think with Kirara constantly coming at me. Suddenly I felt a rather fierce tug on my kimono sleeve and the next second I was flying through the air, dangling off Kirara's fierce grip.

"Let me go!" I shouted, after what seemed to be hours of me dangling precariously. My arm was beginning to ache, and besides I didn't know how much more torture the kimono could take. It was a beautiful thing and I didn't want it to get ruined. But, as if she had really heard me, I felt the ground coming nearer and nearer until Kirara placed me rather gently on my feet while she landed a few feet away.

'_What are you doing here?'_

"What?" I said out loud, looking for what or who spoke that line, then looked back at Kirara who seemed to be looking at me rather intently. I blinked twice, trying to make the connection then it clicked; she was speaking to me. I repeated the question, and she gave a slight nod, her eyes twinkling with what I suspected was mirth.

"Well, I would like to ask that myself, because I don't know why I'm here or how I came here or how I am what I am. I don't know anything." I said, my voice cracking a little at the end.

'_You name'_

"Oh, I'm Rei." I said, assuming she was asking a question. I looked back, expecting her to reply, and reply she did, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all.

'_Return it will in  
__The sinful hands of a man  
__The night is endless'_

_Come will she in wane  
__Being half human in blood  
__From a world unknown'_

_The night darkens on  
__Evil lurks in every nook  
__The bright moon is gone'_

I stood there for a long time, playing the lines over and over in my head, long after Kirara had gone back. The second part was easy, it was about me, since I had arrived here in wane or when the moon was waning, and I was half-human and I was from an unknown world. But the first and the last parts confused me. Perhaps time would reveal their meaning.

I decided to head back to Sesshomaru's house. Thankfully Kirara had left me at a place where I could still feel Sesshomaru's presence. I reached in a few minutes and entered the house, placing my shoes neatly at the entrance, as neatly as I could. I could hear Kagome talk to Sesshomaru, her voice low and serious.

"Rin is sleeping right now" said Kagome, "I gave her medicine to reduce some of the pain. But…" she trailed off. I didn't hear Sesshomaru say anything, but I could feel his aura, and it seemed troubled. After a brief period of silence, Kagome began speaking once more, "I think I need to stay here a couple of…" but he cut her off.

"That is not necessary. I will take…"

"No, I cannot allow that Lord Sesshomaru. Her condition is… a bit tricky right now and I need to watch her for a few days so that my medicines can be more effective." Kagome said with a firm voice. I sensed Sesshomaru's aura flare for a second before reverting back to its normal state. I heard him walk out the room and head towards me instead.

_This cannot be good._

Soon was standing in front of me, his cold gaze almost piercing.

_If you have something to say, just say it. Like a thank you maybe?_

But once again I was faced with the most unexpected of replies.


End file.
